cheracarmichael

[cheracarmichael]

Welp...

[cheracarmichael]

yet another adhd comic

Patreon | Webtoon

[cheracarmichael]

[cheracarmichael]

The Dragon Moves In.

If you leave a perfectly good cave (man-made or not) long enough, someone will definitely make it a home.

Prints in my shop

[cheracarmichael]

FLUFF WEEK is now underway on Patreon this week!

Prompt choices were chosen via Reader's Choice poll and each snippet varies in length and fluff-ability.

Available at the $1 tier HERE.

Happy reading~!

[cheracarmichael]

Want some free dragel novellas for the summer?

The first five episodes of the Dragel's Song are FREE from now until the end of July, so if you've been meaning to dip your toes into this series or you want to share the drage l'verse with a friend, pop on over and snag your copies! 

Code at checkout is: SS100

Click Here to view the Dragel's Song Series on Smashwords. 

Feel free to read, share and enjoy! 

[cheracarmichael]

New HLS Chapter went up last night!!

More Theo x Harry fun. 😏

[cheracarmichael]

www.books2read.com/sotss6

New Short story featuring a grumpy, tired Orion Kuroe and the unexpected adventure when something trips the wards...

Enjoy~!

[cheracarmichael]

"If you use em dash in your works, it makes them look AI generated. No real human uses em dash."

Imaging thinking actual human writers are Not Real because they use... professional writing in their works.

Imagine thinking millions of people who have been using em dash way before AI becomes a thing are all robots.

REBLOG IF YOU'RE A HUMAN AND YOU USE EM DASH

[cheracarmichael]

Chapter 72 is now LIVE! Enjoy~! (and please note the chapter warning on this.)

Chapter 59 of BTR is up on Patreon. Enjoy the read!

Lots of fun setting this up for the incoming twists. 😉

[cheracarmichael]

Reliquary Dragon MTG: Tarkir Dragonstorm AD: Forrest Schehl

[cheracarmichael]

New oneshot is up on Patreon for this month!

Monthly schedule just went up. Enjoy!

[cheracarmichael]

www.books2read.com/hhss3

Violet is drowning in edits and rewrites, as per the usual. When Oscar suggests a quick break at the fancy new teahouse on Crestia, she jumps at the chance for a romantic date with her Bonded.

There’s just the slight issue of a cursed teapot, a possibly missed deadline and something really creepy under that table…

Will Cypher be able to crack this mystery wide-open? Or will Violet’s charming date end in disaster?

Set in the Haunted Hearts ‘verse at any point after Book #1, where Violet and her Bonded are enjoying their daily lives, ghosts and all.

[cheracarmichael]

When the fic is so good and has been creating new plot threads and mysteries with each update that you're desperately trying to find answers to with hints and clues from both the new chapters and previous chapters that you end up feeling like this:

[cheracarmichael]

Hi there!

Do you have any prompts for the Prohibition Era? I wanna write a story about it with a group of six friends being bootleggers for a speakeasy, but I’m not sure how to go about it because I don’t have a plot and can’t think of one, lol.

If you don’t, that’s ok! Thanks for your time!! 💙

Prohibition Era Prompts

-> feel free to edit and adjust pronouns as you see fit.

The floorboards groaned as a trapdoor was eased open behind the bar, revealing the dim stairwell beneath. One of them climbed out, dusting off their coat, the scent of oak barrels clinging to their collar. "Thirty bottles of rye, four crates of gin. Still sweating, but the ice held." Another handed over a rag to wipe the blood from a split knuckle. No one asked where it came from. Upstairs, the jazz band picked up tempo.

Two figures stepped off the truck as the city dimmed into dusk, careful to keep the crates between them and the streetlight. Laughter echoed from a nearby diner, but they moved silent, efficient, all business. One cracked a joke under their breath, drawing a snort from the other as they slid the crates behind the alley’s false wall.

The speakeasy was loud tonight. Glasses clinked, dresses swirled, saxophones howled like sirens. At the corner table, one of them watched the crowd beneath lowered lashes, fingers tracing the pistol hidden beneath the tablecloth. Another worked the room, laughing too easily, slipping a folded note into a bootlegger’s vest. The third ran the till, keeping one eye on the money, the other on the back door. In this business, the dance was never just for show.

The siren blared before the front door splintered. A shout—"Feds!"—echoed through the smoke-filled air, and the dancers screamed as bottles shattered underfoot. One of them flipped the bar shelf, revealing a tunnel hatch, while another grabbed the cashbox and kicked open the cellar door. Behind them, someone threw a bottle at a fed’s head. It missed, but the flames caught on the curtains. No time to put it out. Just run. Run and pray no one saw your face.

The rain soaked through their coats as they hauled the last crate from the boat, mud sucking at their boots. One cursed and nearly slipped, catching themselves on the hull. "Next time, we wait for dry weather." "Next time, we don’t get caught on the wrong side of the river." The lantern flickered as they stacked the last of it in the hidden hatch beneath the church’s basement.

After the final customer left and the doors were bolted, they gathered around the bar in the dark. A single candle lit the space. No one spoke for a moment, just breathed it in. Relief, exhaustion, safety. One poured a round of their own gin, still warm from the distillery. They raised glasses, no toast needed. Just six shadows clinking stolen liquor in the dark, bound by trust, grime, and the understanding that this could all go to hell by morning.

[cheracarmichael]

Ways I Show a Character is In Love But Doesn't Know It Yet...

This one’s for the emotional masochists writing the slowest of burns, where your readers are screaming “just kiss already!” by chapter twenty... I Love and Hate you... ♥

They compare everyone else to the person… and everyone else comes up short. Even when they’re not consciously doing it. No one’s laugh is as warm. No one’s eyes crinkle that way.

They remember the weirdest little things about them. Birthdays? Whatever. But that time they snorted laughing at a dumb joke? Locked and loaded.

They feel weirdly guilty when flirting with someone else. Like they’re cheating… except they’re not even dating. Or are they? Or—ugh, feelings are the worst.

They notice every damn detail when the other person isn’t around. "They’d like this song." "This smells like their shampoo." "I wonder what they'd say about this weird squirrel."

They use weird, overly specific compliments. Not “You look good,” but “That color makes your eyes look like a storm in a novel I’d cry over.”

They get weirdly intense about that person being hurt or in danger. Like, irrationally intense. "He’s just a friend," they say while planning to murder anyone who makes them cry.

They feel safer around them than anyone else, and it freaks them out. Like: “I’m always on guard. Except with you. That’s... suspicious.”

[cheracarmichael]

Writing Platonic Relationships

When writing relationships between characters, one of the best things you can do as a writer is master the art of platonic relationships. Not every relationship has to turn romantic—and when done right, platonic bonds can hit harder than love stories.

But writing them well? That takes a lot of intentionally-written cues and dialogue. Here are just a few tips:

1. Establish emotional intimacy early

Platonic doesn’t mean distant. Let them see each other. Let one character be the first person the other calls when things go wrong. Show moments of vulnerability, casual care, and trust without flirty undertones. Let them have traditions, inside jokes, or quiet routines together.

2. Don’t hint at romance “just in case”

If you’re going for a purely platonic vibe, don’t toss in romantic tension as bait. It cheapens the relationship. Let them have chemistry that’s based in compatibility, not attraction. Not every deep bond needs a romantic subplot. Avoid unnecessary lingering glances or “almost touch” moments unless it’s 100% platonic context (e.g., comforting after a trauma).

3. Give them shared history or shared growth

Platonic duos feel real when we see how they’ve been through things together. Maybe they survived something. Maybe they just grew up side by side. What matters is that their connection isn’t shallow. Flashbacks, casual references to “remember when,” or unspoken teamwork go a long way.

4. Let them be physically close without it meaning more

One character leaning on the other’s shoulder. Braiding hair. Holding hands in a high-stress moment. All of this can be platonic when framed right. Normalize physical affection without romantic framing. You could show how each character interprets the touch. If it’s comfort or instinct—not attraction—it’s platonic.

5. Use other characters to reinforce it

Have others in the story acknowledge the bond without assuming it’s romantic. It helps the reader accept it as non-romantic, too. Maybe someone can say, “You two are like siblings” or “You always have each other’s back.” Reinforce the type of love.

6. Give them conflict—but let them choose each other

Don’t make it perfect. Platonic love, like any bond, includes disagreement. But when they still come through for each other, that’s what makes it powerful. Maybe one apologizes without ego. The other forgives without resentment. That’s platonic strength.

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Platonic relationships aren’t the backup to romance—they’re their own kind of energy. They don’t need to be slow-burn romances in disguise. Let them be bold, soft, loud, or quiet—but most of all, real. Because at the end of the day, platonic love deserves to be written with the same depth, stakes, and tenderness as any love story.